London -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Syrian poet , critic and artist Adonis has been described as the greatest living Arab poet .

He was the first Arab to win the German Goethe Prize last year at the age of 81 , whose judges described him as `` the most important Arab poet of our time , '' and he was one of the favorites to win last year 's Nobel Prize for Literature .

Adonis , born Ali Ahmad Said Esbar , grew up in a poor village near the Syrian city of Latakia and received no formal education until he was granted a scholarship to a French lycee by the then president of Syria at the age of 13 .

He was forced to leave Syria in 1956 after being imprisoned for his involvement in the opposition Syrian National Socialist Party . He moved to Beirut , Lebanon , and now lives in Paris and Beirut .

He spoke to CNN through an interpreter at an exhibition of his collages and a series of literary events called `` A Tribute to Adonis '' at the Mosaic Rooms in London until March 30 .

CNN : How do you feel watching the situation in Syria ?

Adonis : I 'm very sad . I wish that the regime would understand that it has to reform or renew itself and create a new government through free and fair elections .

I also wish that the opposition had not resorted to armed violence because I 'm personally against violence in all its forms . I do not see any justification for its use whatsoever .

CNN : Should the outside world intervene in Syria ?

A : The world should not interfere , especially not militarily . The Western world should not use this as a pretext to fulfill its own goals in the region .

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CNN : Are you in touch with friends in Syria ?

A : I last went to Syria a year and a half ago , but I 'm always in touch with my friends there . Many of them are in the opposition -- but in the peaceful opposition . Many of them share my views that the solution must be Syrian and through a democratic dialogue . We must reach a new regime that is democratic , plural and secular .

CNN : Are your friends scared ?

A : Their main fear is for the violence and for the potential for the situation to develop into civil war . They are not scared to speak out . They can talk openly .

CNN : How have events of the past year changed the Arab world ?

A : There 's definitely a new consciousness everywhere . The question is will this lead to a new political reality and new regimes ? It 's difficult to predict , but I hope so .

CNN : Have you seen changes in Lebanon , where you have lived on and off since 1956 ?

A : Lebanon will remain as it has always been : An ongoing project , a work in progress . It 's a project that 's difficult to stop , but it 's equally difficult to continue with .

CNN : You received no formal education until you recited one of your own poems to the then Syrian president in 1943 . How did that happen ?

A : It was almost 70 years ago after Syria became independent and the president was touring the country . I was 12 or 13 and I read a poem in front of the president . He called me over and asked what I wanted . I said I would like to go to school , so I got a scholarship to a school in Latakia .

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CNN : How did that change your life ?

A : Poetry gave me a new life . I can always say that poetry allowed me to be reborn .

CNN : How important is poetry in Arab culture ?

A : There are two things that are central to our culture : Religion and poetry . They were always in conflict . Unfortunately now religion is overwhelming poetry , but I have a saying that poetry remains deeply-rooted and strong . Poetry has never had any influence throughout history , however poetry creates a new aesthetic , a new beauty , a new type of relations between things and people , and this is not insignificant .

CNN : What was Syria like before 1970 when Hafez al-Assad , Bashar 's father came to power ?

A : I left Syria in 1956 , a few years before the Baath party became the government in 1963 . I was always opposed to the Baathist ideology . I was always against the one-party state .

CNN : You left Syria after being imprisoned for membership of an opposition party in 1956 , then you left Lebanon in 1982 after the Israeli invasion . Do you feel you have always been in exile ?

A : I do n't only feel in exile because of these two departures . There are many other factors making me feel this way : Relationships with other people , my relationship with language , my relationship with the world . Love sometimes makes you feel you are in exile . Existentially , the feeling of permanence is always accompanied by a feeling of exile , of impermanence .

CNN : How has Syria changed since you left ?

A : What 's strange is I feel it is I who has changed , not the country .

CNN : What are your memories of the Syria of your youth ?

A : I remember the coast , the mountains , the beautiful girls for which Syria is famous . I miss swimming in the sea .

CNN : Will you ever go back to live in Syria ?

A : I would like to go back , but I do n't think my desire will be fulfilled .

CNN : The Mosaic Rooms in London is currently running ' A Tribute to Adonis ' and an exhibition of your artwork . What does this mean to you ?

A : I 'm very happy . There 's a lot of attention and a lot of sensitive appreciation .

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Adonis won German Goethe Prize and was described by judges as the `` most important Arab poet of our time ''

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He has been exiled from Syria since 1956

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Adonis calls for peaceful change in Syria without outside intervention